Are you doing anything to prepare for a second wave?

[Emlou07]

Historically we are going to get one. Seeing pictures of places rammed is scary.

So if so, what are you doing to prepare? If only to make another potential lockdown a bit easier.

I've been picking up a couple of extra tins a week and some UHT milk. I've also put some bits aside for the kids to keep them entertained.

I wish Netmums would come back. This thread is so utterly middle class bonkers.

Did netmums go under? (news to me)

@LovingLen

Everyone should be prepared for at least 2 weeks anyway as you could have to self isolate at anytime.

I live in a small flat. I can't keep 2 weeks' worth of dried goods. I would need help from friends if I was stuck inside for 2 weeks. At the moment it's still a week for single people anyway. I'm not sure there's anything I can do to prepare.

"I am preparing for that by doing as much as I'm allowed as often as possible. So then the next Crackdown might feel a little less awful."

Oh no. This is not the way to live life!

I'm just doing what i've done for the last 10 weeks. Going out just for daily exercise and essential shopping and keeping my distance.

I'm fortunate I can wfh.

Once more for all the people shouting PrEpPerS aRe cAuSinG thE sHoRtagEs

Prepping is buying one or two extra tins per week in a slow and steady way. Buying an extra couple of tins when supply is plentiful isn't the thing that is causing shortages. A significant number of people have been doing that since 2016 and until the PANIC BUYING started just before lockdown, were you ever short in the shops? No? The preppers helped ease the supply chain problems that the panickers caused because we weren't anywhere near the shops trying to buy loo roll for weeks. So pipe the F down and put away an extra tin or so a week so that when the next lot of panic buying happens you won't be complaining and you will be able to do your bit to ease the shortages.

FHS, a stockpiling thread, aaaargh!

@Growingboys If other people are panicking then that's down to them and what goes on in their head. Not a question I have asked on a public forum.

I wouldn't say it was irresponsible

@MNHQ How do I get this moved to the Preppers board or Corona board?

ITonyah

Hang on. I bought some this week. (A 12 pack instead of a 9 pack). As far as I am aware, there is no panic buying at the moment. The shelves are full. I’ve put the three away. I now have spare. The chains are functioning well and it can be replaced. As happened last time, when the panic buying started, I can stay well clear, leaving what is on the shelf for people who can’t store it in their own house. That’s just being prepared, isn’t it? Or is it seriously better to leave it until there isn’t any and then be scrabbling on the shelves for something you need? The difference before was that everyone wanted the same things. Next week, I might buy an extra bottle of washing up liquid. Not toilet roll. Little by little won’t cause a run.

@frazzledfatty of course I realise not all posters who have a stock have done so for 30 years although some will have and some maybe even longer. Depends on their ages really doesn't it.

I was explaining that I have had a stock for years not just because of this virus. To me it makes sense as no one knows what is likely to happen.

Also DH is self employed so can have months when he earns little especially when customers don't pay or bounce cheques. It means buying food is one less thing to worry about.

We haven't even used all the pasta, chickpeas, lentils etc we bought long before lockdown started.

@Raaaa no I am not trying to persuade you to buy 2 weeks worth of food. If I were trying to persuade people to stock up it would be to have far more than 2 weeks worth of food. We normally have around 6 weeks worth of food. Probably more when you take into account all the dried lentils, beans, chickpeas etc we have.

We also buy things in bulk because it works out so much cheaper. Lentils, beans, spices, onions etc from asian supermarkets are far cheaper than ordinary supermarkets plus the little packs of things like lentils that Tesco etc sell are not really much use to us as we eat a lot of those sorts of things.

@lljkk

Here is an image of the first wave - a bell curve graph showing number of deaths in the uk per day. Can you see how it kinda looks like a wave? This is the first wave - deaths per day rose, they peaked, now they are falling because of lockdown. Unfortunately it's inevitable that as lockdown measures are being eased/removed, the number of deaths per day will rise again and cause a second wave - and the worry is that the next one will be WAY bigger than the first one. That help?

and the worry is that the next one will be WAY bigger than the first one. That help?

Can you explain why you think the second wave will be way bigger than the first? Given that we are advancing all the time in our understanding of how it is spread and how it can be treated?

Please don't refer to the second wave of the 1918 flu pandemic as "evidence".

Didn't prep at all last time, and haven't starved. May need to adapt meals for the week to what is in stock, but not a problem. Only thing I wish I'd bought early was a decent cheap webcam for my pc as no- one has them in stock now and work meetings on a tablet or phone are a bit annoying.

The preppers helped ease the supply chain problems that the panickers caused because we weren't anywhere near the shops trying to buy loo roll for weeks. So pipe the F down and put away an extra tin or so a week so that when the next lot of panic buying happens you won't be complaining and you will be able to do your bit to ease the shortages.

So now the preppers are helping the situation, give me a break! Again I ask the same question if everyone decides this week to start prepping & buy a bit more pasta, tins, toilet roll doesn't that cause a shortage?

I started my continuous pantry in 1998. There is no way that I caused a shortage by once buying extra in 1998 and then replenishing when used (so buying extra once and afterwards just the normal shopping). Most preppers started long before the pandemic.

Ensuring that we have sanitiser, tp, masks etc for when it happens
Keeping DD and DH aware that once this clears it will come back so they arent to slip with their protective behaviours.

Keeping medication stocks.
Buying clothes ahead of time
Saving as much money as possible.

Food aside like usual.

Considering a second freezer

A significant number of people have been doing that since 2016 and until the PANIC BUYING started just before lockdown, were you ever short in the shops?

A significant number? how many is that in the real world? I would argue very few people have the space to store 4 yrs worth of food/stocks.

All these daily walks have shown me where the best BlackBerry bushes are locally, so I'll be filling a few boxes for the freezer when they are ripe. Judging by how they are flowering I reckon it's going to be a good year for this.

Thanks to reading the prepper threads, when this all started I already had a Brexit stash, we started to lockdown a few weeks before the official one, as did many people we know, so did a big shop for things we couldn't manage without. Pet food/meds etc. No panic buying, and no shortages in shops at that time btw. And didn't have to go to the shops when everyone else was rushing out to panic buy. Have kept that store topped up, one out, one in...and will continue to do so. Think you're being very sensible OP.

I stocked up my freezer and pantry when all this first started kicked off. Mostly so that if we needed to seriously isolate because one of us got ill, we'd have enough to get by for at least 2 weeks.
During the 10 weeks that have followed, we've been pretty strict about not touching the stock that we've mentally set aside for isolation, and just continuing to shop as normal. We were lucky though, in that we could afford to do an extra large-size shop, and then shop as normal. A lot of people probably couldn't afford that.

I do expect there to be a second wave, but will hopefully continue as we have done these 10 weeks. But if we get ill, we've got what we need to get through. That being said, I will stock back up on medicines next time I go to the shop, as we've been using those for just normal head aches, period pains, aches and pains etc.

This thread is so utterly middle class bonkers.

I'm pretty middle class but I agree some of the privilege on this thread is crazy. I mean in the midst of another wave with hundreds dying daily, key workers having to risk their lives, etc is not been able to home bake & having to wear last yrs coat a big deal?

but you are one of the posters talking about "buying 2 weeks worth of food in one go" aren't you? That is not what the prepared and organised posters are talking about is it?

No, but you have to have the money to be 'prepared and organised' in the first place. You don't seem to understand that a lot of people can't afford to do this.

Again I ask the same question if everyone decides this week to start prepping & buy a bit more pasta, tins, toilet roll doesn't that cause a shortage?

According to analysts that is exactly what caused a shortage. Noone who normally has access to shops needs to prep.

And what's with all the buying clothes? Just don't buy any more and wear last years, unless you have a growing child.